Job 20:12-15

20:12 “If ¹  evil is sweet in his mouth

and he hides it under his tongue, ² 

20:13 if he retains it for himself

and does not let it go,

and holds it fast in his mouth, ³ 

20:14 his food is turned sour ⁴  in his stomach; ⁵ 

it becomes the venom of serpents ⁶  within him.

20:15 The wealth that he consumed ⁷  he vomits up,

God will make him throw it out ⁸  of his stomach.

[20:12]  ¹ tn The conjunction אִם (’im) introduces clauses that are conditional or concessive. With the imperfect verb in the protasis it indicates what is possible in the present or future. See GKC 496 §159.q).

[20:12]  ² sn The wicked person holds on to evil as long as he can, savoring the taste or the pleasure of it.

[20:13]  ³ tn Heb “in the middle of his palate.”

[20:14]  ⁴ tn The perfect verb in the apodosis might express the suddenness of the change (see S. R. Driver, Tenses in Hebrew, 204), or it might be a constative perfect looking at the action as a whole without reference to inception, progress, or completion (see IBHS 480-81 §30.1d). The Niphal perfect simply means “is turned” or “turns”; “sour is supplied in the translation to clarify what is meant.

[20:14]  ⁵ tn The word is “in his loins” or “within him.” Some translate more specifically “bowels.”

[20:14]  ⁶ sn Some commentators suggest that the ancients believed that serpents secreted poison in the gall bladder, or that the poison came from the gall bladder of serpents. In any case, there is poison (from the root “bitter”) in the system of the wicked person; it may simply be saying it is that type of poison.

[20:15]  ⁷ tn Heb “swallowed.”

[20:15]  ⁸ tn The choice of words is excellent. The verb יָרַשׁ (yarash) means either “to inherit” or “to disinherit; to dispossess.” The context makes the figure clear that God is administering the emetic to make the wicked throw up the wealth (thus, “God will make him throw it out…”); but since wealth is the subject there is a disinheritance meant here.